Arts Reviews
A Wilde flight of theatrical fancy
Published 5 September 2008
In Extremis, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick
Roisin takes the lead
Published 29 August 2008
The first headlining act of Solfest, Roisin Murphy set the bar high with a theatrical set complete with out-there dance moves and five costume changes.
Supergrass rock
Published 29 August 2008
Brit pop heroes Supergrass proved that the Nineties will never be forgotten.
Supreme-style Sixties and some new treats
Published 29 August 2008
THE PIPETTESThe hip-swinging Pipettes brought the Sixties girl group bang up to date at Solfest on Saturday.MEG JORSH
Bees sting with a mix of Little Richard, The Band and The Beach Boys Boys
Published 29 August 2008
THE BEESIN the closing hours of Solfest, The Bees are in flight to keep the party going.
Solfest – the biggest and best to date
Published 29 August 2008
More than 10,000 festival-goers gathered at The Tarns near Silloth for what has been branded the biggest and best Solfest so far.
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Published 29 August 2008
BAD MANNERSChart-topping ska troubadors Bad Manners made their raucous mark on Solfest.
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Published 29 August 2008
TARRASIf the point of a reunion is to see how far you’ve come, then Cumbrian folk heroes Tarras aren’t a million miles from where they began.
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Published 29 August 2008
RORY CONNORIt seems we can only make sense of solo talent by drawing comparisons.
The slick Cockney mix had every knee jigging
Published 29 August 2008
CHAS AND DAVELampshades, sumo wrestlers and even the moon had a dance to Chas and Dave on Saturday night.
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Published 29 August 2008
JACAJaca takes to the stage like a tiny blonde fairy, her frame dwarfed by a keyboard of epic proportions.
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Published 29 August 2008
ALABAMA 3Bringing their own brand of attitude to Solfest, the outfit once dubbed the best live band in Britain, rocked the main stage.
City teens look good on Silloth Greenfest’s stage
Published 22 August 2008
Robin Starch, Sidewinder, South Quay and Bullfrogs at Silloth GreenFestWhile people sampled local delicacies such as freshly baked bread, jam, cheese and cider at Silloth GreenFest, they could also enjoy an added extra, new this year: a showcase of some of the best music in Cumbria.
Kasabian conquer Carlisle with hedonism and irresistible riffs
Published 22 August 2008
Kasabian, The Sands Centre, CarlisleA capacity audience of 1,200 is small fry to the Leicester band, but they launched into 2006 single Shoot The Runner with cheerful confidence for the Cumbrian crowd.
Camaraderie of community concert
Published 14 August 2008
The Good Old Days, Dalston Dramatic Society, Victory Hall, DalstonDALSTON rolled back the years for an evening of old-fashioned entertainment.
Two lives in letters
Published 14 August 2008
84 Charing Cross Road, Dalston Victory HallTold in letters between the two main protagonists – Helene Hanff, a struggling scriptwriter based in New York, and Frank Doel of Mark & Co booksellers in post-war London – this true story was brought to life with humour and pathos by Dalston Dramatic Society, directed by John Allen.
We can work it out, Pinter. Perhaps
Published 8 August 2008
The Caretaker, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick: You can almost smell Stephen Ley as Davies the tramp, such is the powerful and convincing nature of his performance in this Harold Pinter classic.
Glorious Glasvegas take the big top by the scruff of its muddy neck
Published 8 August 2008
Glasvegas”You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are grey”. So ends opening song Flowers and Football Tops, and the feeling is mutual.
Soaring, seductive and spellbinding, Jenny takes the Birds to a new high
Published 8 August 2008
Birds vs PlanesPick a band name and someone’s got there first. Hence the ridiculously clunky The Charlatans UK and The Chameleons UK. Stars of Track and Field are too smart to stick a geographical suffix after their name, so now they’re Birds vs Planes. Allusions to flight are certainly apt as this band soar with kinetic energy.
Magic and madness
Published 8 August 2008
Kendal Calling - The Witch and The Robot, August 3There’s disturbing scenes in the big top on this glorious Sunday afternoon. A man in a boiler suit wearing a papier mache head and a feather boa is wrapping gaffer tape around the legs of a band playing folk-ska-elctronica. These things happen in deepest Cumbria. It‘s the influence of dark hills, hidden forests and a revolutionary spirit.
